Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was J.K. Rowling's first novel, followed by Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as three books written for charity and inspired by the Harry Potter novels: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, Quidditch Through the Ages and The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The Harry Potter novels have now sold over 400 million copies worldwide and been translated into 70 languages. J.K. Rowling has generated huge popular appeal for her books across the generations in an unprecedented fashion: she was the first children's author to be voted the BA Author of the Year, and also to win the British Book Awards Author of the Year. J.K. Rowling lives with her family in Edinburgh.

'A wonderful creation . . . The comic handling of the material and the insight into the child's world are fresh and magical in every sense . . . the new Harry Potter is in my suitcase ready for my holiday'

'Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, unlike many sequels, is as good as its predecessor . . . Hogwarts is a creation of genius'

'It seemed so unlikely that she could replicate the imaginative power, emotional intensity and entrancing complexity of the prototype, that I received the draft of volume two with trepidation. It's good to be wrong sometimes'

'An intricately woven, highly imaginative tale . . . cleverly textured, sophisticated fiction'